Health monitoring system for preventing a hazardous condition

• US 7,714,702 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2007
• Issued: 05/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Khuzadi, Mbuyi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Phung
• Application Number:
  US11/757,797
• Publication Number:
  US 20080297375A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,072 Days
• Field of Search: 340/425.5, 340/438, 340/439, 340/945
• US Class Current: 340/425.5
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/04 responsive to non-activity, e.g. of elderly persons G08B21/06 takes precedence

Abstract

A method and apparatus for hazard prevention. A vehicle has a hazard prevention system. The hazard prevention system includes a plurality of hazard cause controls, a health monitor system, and a vehicle control system. The plurality hazard cause controls are associated with a hazardous conditions and each hazard cause control in the plurality of hazard cause controls is associated with a system in the vehicle to prevent a hazardous condition from occurring during operation of the vehicle. The health monitor system monitors the hazard cause controls to determine if each of these hazard cause controls is operating properly and generates an alert if a hazard cause control is operating improperly. The control system is in communication with the health monitor system, wherein the control system receives alerts and provides a corrective action to avoid the hazardous condition.

Claims

1. A vehicle with a hazard prevention system comprising:

a set of hazard cause controls, wherein the set of hazard cause controls are associated with a hazardous condition and each hazard cause control in the set of hazard cause controls an associated sub-system to prevent the hazardous condition from occurring during operation of the vehicle;

a health monitor system, wherein the health monitor system monitors the plurality of hazard cause controls to determine if the each of the plurality of hazard cause controls is operating properly and generates an alert if a hazard cause control in the plurality of hazard cause controls is operating improperly; and

a vehicle control system in communication with the health monitor system, wherein the vehicle control system receives the alert and provides a corrective action to avoid the hazardous condition.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the health monitor system monitors the plurality of hazard cause controls directly.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the health monitor system monitors a selected hazard cause control in the plurality of hazard cause controls by receiving information from a sub-system in the vehicle.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the plurality of hazard cause controls are designed using a model of causes for the hazardous condition.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the corrective action is suggesting the corrective action to an operator of the vehicle.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the corrective action is switching to a redundant control in the plurality of hazard cause controls.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the corrective action is restarting the hazard cause control.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is selected from one of an aircraft, a ship, an automobile, a space craft, a launch vehicle, a submarine, a processing plant, a manufacturing facility, a power generation facility, or an oil drilling rig.

9. A system comprising:

a plurality of sub-systems;

a set of hazard cause controls, wherein the set of hazard cause controls are associated with a hazardous condition identified for the system and each hazard cause control in the set of hazard cause controls an associated sub-system, in the plurality of sub-systems to prevent the hazardous condition from occurring;

a health monitor system, wherein the health monitor system monitors the set of hazard cause controls to determine if the set of hazard cause controls is operating properly and generates an alert if a hazard cause control in the set of hazard cause controls is operating improperly; and

a control system in communication with the health monitor system, wherein the system control sub-system receives the alert and provides a corrective action to avoid the hazardous condition from occurring.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the health monitor system monitors the plurality of hazard cause controls directly.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the health monitor system monitors a selected hazard cause control in the set of hazard cause controls by receiving information from a sub-system in the vehicle.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the system is selected from one of a building, a dam, a power plant, an aircraft, a ship, an automobile, a space craft, a launch vehicle, or a submarine, a processing plant, a manufacturing facility, or an oil drilling rig.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the corrective action is sending the alert to a person.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the corrective action is restarting the control.

15. A method in a vehicle for preventing a hazardous condition from occurring, the method comprising:

monitoring a set of hazard cause controls in the vehicle using a health monitor system to detect a hazard cause control in the set of hazard cause controls that is operating improperly, wherein the set of hazard cause controls sub-systems to prevent the hazardous condition from developing in the vehicle; and

responsive to detecting a hazard cause control that is operating improperly, sending an alert to a control system in the vehicle, wherein the control system uses the alert to provide a corrective action to avoid the hazardous condition.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of monitoring the plurality of hazard cause controls in the vehicle using the health monitor system to detect the hazard cause control in the plurality of hazard cause controls that is operating improperly comprises:

monitoring the set of hazard cause controls in the vehicle using the health monitor system to detect the hazard cause control in the set of hazard cause controls that is operating improperly, wherein the set of hazard cause controls are designed using a model of causes and sub causes of the hazardous condition and the set of hazard cause controls control sub-systems to prevent the hazardous condition from occurring in the vehicle.